In
this modern era where urbanization, industrialization and technological
innovation have paved way for high standards of social life one could easily
trace out a decline in the health conditions of the people. Man-made machines
have become both a blessing and a curse to mankind. People have become more and
more reliant on these man-made equipments to satisfy their day to day
requirements. As a result, they have become more lethargic and this has added
on to severe mental and health problems.
Adverse
effect of technology, lack of exercise and unhealthy food habits has led to many health
problems. Right from childhood people are being exposed to deadly diseases. The
rapid spread of many contagious diseases has increased the demand for, quick
relieving and readily accessible medicines. People have started consuming pain
killers and other powerful drugs in large quantities. A majority of them are
not even aware of its negative impact on the body. Over use of these powerful
drugs have led to numerous other health related issues. In this context a
discourse on Homoeopathy would be remarkable.
Homeopathy
is both an art and a science of healing which involves a holistic approach. The
treatment is based on a meticulous examination of the patient. The patient is
considered as a closed entity and the different shades of his character are
closely observed by the physician while diagnosing the disease and prescribing
the remedy.
In the
present scenario when people have become more sensitive and alert on the issues
pertaining to the side effects of drugs, Homeopathy medicines have gained
greater relevance. This system of treatment has been found to be quite
effective for chronic and genetic ailments.
One of the principles of Homoeopathy is “Treat
the patient, not the disease”.
How is this
achieved? For
a very long time I was quite perplexed with this statement. The teachings of Dr.Praful
Vijyakumar and Dr Rajan Sankaran helped me to overcome this
problem. Besides the teachings and ideas which I have gathered from these
medical practitioners, and my own experiments in the lab has helped me to a
great extend. In the following words I would like to explicate the above
mentioned statement.
While treating a particular person for a particular disease, the
individual is considered as a whole. Apart from the disease condition, diverse
factors like the emotional, physical, psychological and the circumstantial
factors that constitute the general make up of a person are taken into account.
Homeopathy is distinctive in considering the mental condition of the sick
person. Dr. Samuel Hahnemann, the German physician, Founder of Homeopathy has magnificently
developed the mental symptoms of each medicine that can treat a sick person who
is manifesting a similar set of symptoms. This form of treatment “like cures
like” has laid the foundation for an approach to medicine which he later termed
as “Similia Similibus Curendur”.
Homeopathy
is distinctive in considering the mental condition of the sick person. Dr
Samuel Hahnemann, the German physician, founder of Homeopathy has magnificently
developed the mental symptoms of each medicine that can treat a sick person who
is manifesting a similar set of symptoms. This form of treatment “like cures
like” has laid the foundation for an approach to medicine which he later termed
as “Similia Similibus Curendur”.
Homeopathy
physicians, while examining a patient gives foremost priority to the human
mind. The human personality is a complex aggregate of physical body (visible)
and the invisible mental faculty. Even though human mind is both invisible and
intangible it is present in each cell controlled by brain. It is one of the
supreme faculty that controls and co-ordinates other bodily activities. The conflicts
and problems that an individual confronts in day to day life is mainly due to
his failure in coping with a particular situation and the human mind is solely
responsible for this, because it is the human mind that shapes and moulds human
destiny. One could compare human mind to a tree on which diseases grow like
parasites extracting all the food reserves and thereby destroying the tree.
Another factor taken into account in
Homoeopathic treatment is generals such as thermal condition of the body. Two
individuals are not identical. One of them may find it difficult to tolerate heat, while the other cold, and vice-versa. One may even be disturbed by the slightest weather
changes. while the other can’t expose to sunlight. One of them may have problems aggravated
by moon phases while the other may not.
Therefore
Mind and Generals can be compared to two horses of a chariot.
Recent researches and studies done in this area
is a clear indication of the over growing demand for Homeopathy treatment. A
study undertaken by IIT Mumbai has come out with a “fascinating observation
that certain high potency Homeopathic remedies made from metals contain
measurable amounts of the starting material even at extreme dilutions”. More
than two hundred years ago Dr. Samuel Hahnemann developed a very simple method
of potentisation to evolve nanoparticles from medicinal herbs, chemical elements
and compounds which leave no residue in the body. [Doesn’t he deserve a NOBEL
PRIZE?]
The details of Case Taking are discussed in the next topic.